I did it! I finally used a crock-pot to cook my oatmeal overnight. And, I liked loved it.
I’m in a bit of a rut when it comes to breakfast. I have old-fashioned rolled oats (not the quick kind) almost every single morning, although I do vary the toppings. At least it is a healthy habit. 
For regular rolled oats, I just microwave a half cup of oats with almost an equal amount of water (I don’t like them runny) for 3 minutes on 50% power and then top it off with flax seed and some fruit or nuts.
In the morning, when you are in a hurry, minutes can seem like hours. But, the effort is totally worth it. Oats seem to stick to your insides!
Now, when it comes to steel cut oats (a.k.a Irish oatmeal,) it’s a different story. On the stove-top, it takes more like 20 minutes to cook, which brings me back to the slow cooker. Steel cut oats cook beautifully overnight in this time-saving appliance.
My morning breakfast: steel cut oats topped with flax seed, blueberries and one packet of SweetLeaf stevia sweetener.
I used this cute little 2 quart crock-pot for my 4 servings of oatmeal. Yes, 4 servings. My youngest was game to have oatmeal for breakfast and the rest I will reheat throughout the week. Leftovers can be frozen too!
For four servings, mix 1 cup of steel cut oats, with 4 cups of water. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, if desired. (I did.) You can sweeten with a 1/4 cup of brown sugar while it is cooking too. (I didn’t.) I can’t wait to experiment with some other seasoning and add-ins.
Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours. (I cooked for 8.) The oatmeal was not mushy at all. If you don’t like your oatmeal on the firm side, then add a little extra liquid…like a 1/2 cup more water or milk. Or, you can stir in some milk before you eat them.
Cover the oatmeal with your favorite toppings, such as dried or fresh fruit, nuts, chocolate chips (did I say that?) and seeds.
To enjoy the leftovers, stir in a little water or milk and then microwave to heat through. Stir and top as you normally would.
Steel cut oats cook overnight in the crock-pot. A delicious and healthy way to start the day! This is a basic recipe to top with fresh or dried fruit, nuts, seeds and sweetener.
Ingredients
- 1 cup steel cut oats
- 4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Fruit, nut and seed toppings (optional)
Instructions
- Mix first 4 ingredients in a small crock-pot.
- Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours.
- Serve with toppings and sweetener of choice.
Notes
Freezes well. Just add a little bit of water or milk, microwave, add toppings and enjoy.
One serving of steel cut oats is about 1 cup cooked (1/4 cup dried.) That’s a lot of oats. For those of you that are counting, that is a 4 ww points before adding any toppings or sweetener.
Enjoy!
This is what’s for breakfast tomorrow…a deeelish, healthy start to our day! Thanks!